All around the country disability organizations

have been celebrating the 30th anniversary of

the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) this

month and throughout the year with webinars

documentaries and events

On Tuesday July 28 2020 Missouri celebrated this milestone with an event at the

Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City and via Facebook live Several dozen individuals

attended the event at the capitol while thousands of others viewed it online

The Governorrsquos Council on Disability collaborated with the Department of Higher

Education amp Workforce Development Missouri Vocational Rehabilitation Missouri

Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Missouri Assistive Technology

Rehabilitation Services for the Blind Midland Empire Resources for Independent Living

Missouri Rehabilitation Association Missouri Developmental Disabilities Council

Missouri Mental Health Foundation MU Pre-Employment Transition Services Missouri

Centers for Independent Living and Paraquad to host this event Thank you to all of the

partner agencies

Speakers included Governor Michael L Parson and

Jefferson City Mayor Carrie Tergin who presented

proclamations to celebrate the anniversary and

designate July 26 as Americans with Disabilities Act

Awareness Day followed by Attorney General Eric

Schmitt Amber Cheek with the MU Division of

Inclusion Diversity and Equity and Julie Brinkhoff

with the Great Plains ADA Center spoke to honor and

celebrate the legacy of former Council member and

state legislator Chuck Graham

Missouri Youth Leadership Forum alumna

Madelyn Hubbs provided her perspective of a

member of the ADA generation born after the

passage of the ADA

(Continued on page 2)

Inside this

Issue

Page 1

Missouri Celebrates

the 30th Anniversary

of the ADA

Page 2

75th Anniversary of

National Disability

Employment

Awareness Month

Disability

Employment

Awareness Month

Poster Contest

Page 3

Missouri Service

Animal Statute

Changes

MO-YLF Alumni

Spotlight

Page 4

Regional Leadership

Forums New Date

for Jefferson City

Get Prepared for the

Upcoming Elections

Volume 6 Number 4 August 2020

Governorrsquos Council on Disability

GCD Governorrsquos Council on

Disability

Missouri Celebrates the 30th Anniversary

of the ADA by Claudia Browner

Page 2 GCD Governorrsquos Council on Disability

75th Anniversary of National Disability Employment Awareness

Month

This October the United States Department of Laborrsquos Office of

Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) along with disability

organizations around the country will be celebrating the 75th

Anniversary of the National Disability Employment Awareness

Month (NDEAM) with a range of events and activities centered

on the theme Increasing Access and Opportunityrdquo

The ODEP news release about this yearrsquos event and ideas on how

to participate in the celebration can be found at

httpswwwdolgovnewsroomreleasesodepodep20200630

Disability Employment Awareness Month Poster Contest

To raise awareness about NDEAM and the importance of employment inclusion for people with disabilities the

Governorrsquos Council on Disability hosts its annual Disability Employment Awareness Month Poster Contest

Missouri artists are invited to illustrate through their artwork what

inclusion in employment means to them and how the ADA has

positively affected diversity in the workforce Artists are encouraged

to incorporate the 30th anniversary of the ADA into their posters

The winning artwork will be featured in GCDrsquos NDEAM poster for

2020 which will be distributed statewide and featured on our

website Facebook page GCD Newsletter and in GCDrsquos annual report

Detailed information and Poster Contest Entry Forms can be found

at httpsdisabilitymogovgcdPosterContest

Please submit your artwork before the August 15 deadline

Sam Doman a violinist from Wardsville played classical music during a

slideshow of ADA Successes and Visions for the Future highlighting the

accomplishments and successes of the ADA in the last three decades and

visions for the future of inclusion and accessibility

More information about the ADA30 celebration and the slideshow can be

found on our website at httpsdisabilitymogovada30htm

For additional photos and a recording of the event please visit our

Facebook page at httpswwwfacebookcomMissouriGCD

Photos Page 1mdashGovernor Parson Madelyn Hubbs Page 2mdashSam Doman

(Continued from page 1)

Page 3 GCD Governorrsquos Council on Disability

MO-YLF alumni Spotlight on Candace Cunningham

by Rachel Rackers

This monthrsquos Missouri Youth Leadership Forum (MO-YLF) alumni spotlight is on Candace

Cunningham In July of 2009 Candace attended the Missouri Youth Leadership Forum a

leadership program for students with disabilities and in the years following she returned to

participate as a team member She is a graduate from the University of Central Missouri

and has a Bachelorrsquos Degree in Youth and Human Service and Child amp Family Development

As Candace has overcome her own challenges and navigated through her own life

experiences she has found passion to help other young adults see their full potential through

many different roles She has served on the Jackson County Senate Bill 40 Intellectual amp

Developmental Disabilities (IDD) Board APSE Board the Summit Future Foundation

EITAS Developmental Disability Services of Jackson County and the Missouri Youth LEAD

Fellowship Participant in the LEND program Peer to Peer Mentor Committee Chair and Americorp Vista at the UMKC

Propel Program Candace is also a graduate of Missouri DD Councilrsquos Partners in Policy Making

Most recently Candace accepted the position as the People First of Missouri Coordinator at UMKCrsquos Institute for

Human Development This position fits very well with Candacersquos passion for helping other individuals with different

abilities to identify their strengths and achieve their full potential

Candace is a great example of a leader advocate and mentor who will help pave the way for others with disabilities

Beginning on August 28 Missouri service animal statutes will change The definition of a service

animal for all statutes will be ldquoa dog that is being or has been individually trained to do work or

perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability including a physical sensory

psychiatric intellectual or other mental disabilityrdquo

The allowance of dogs ldquoin trainingrdquo is new to MO statute as it relates to public places

employment and housing Because the definition of service dog includes dogs who are in

training and will apply to all statutes 209150 (public places) 209162 (employment) and

209190 (housing) will also include requirements to allow dogs ldquoin trainingrdquo in these

environments

Mental healthpsychiatric service dogs are added to the list of types of service dogs in statute

209200 In order to qualify as this type of service dog the owner (handler) must have a medical condition or disability

listed in the current DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders)

Statute 209204 now includes a list of actions that constitute misrepresentation of a service dog and adds

misrepresenting an animal as an assistance animal for the purposes of housing as a misdemeanor For those familiar

with the current statute the part related to service dogs is removed from the meaning of impersonating a person with a

disability Instead a new idea of misrepresentation of a dog as a service dog is included

GCD is in the process of creating a windowdoor placard and flyers to meet the obligations set forth in Senate Bills 644

and 656 A flyer will be designed for business owners Another flyer will be for landlords and tenants The placard will be

created so that it can be placed on a business window or door

We are also revising one of our service animal videos to include the definition of disability used in the bills and the

Service Animals Allowed booklet which is already available on the Service Animals web page to reflect the new statutes

All of the items will be available at no cost to be downloaded and printed off the Missouri Disability Portal Service

Animals web page at httpsdisabilitymogovserviceanimalshtm

Missouri Service Animal Statute Changes by Laura Mueth

Missouri Governorrsquos

Council on Disability

Members

Yvonne Wright Chair

New Bloomfield

Joan Bergstrom Ed D

Leersquos Summit

Charles Comstock

Kirksville

Betty Davidson PhD

St Louis

Ronald Hack

St Louis

Chip Hailey

Joplin

Rosemary Hendon

West Plains

Katie Jones

St Charles

Kim Lackey

St Louis

Elijah Mayfield

Jefferson City

DeAnna Noriega

Columbia

Susan Orton

Creve Coeur

Andrew Sartorius

Jefferson City

Lesia Shelton

Buffalo

Opeoluwa Sotonwa

Jefferson City

James Trout

St Louis

Robert Wallace

St Louis

Missouri Governorrsquos

Council on Disability Staff

Members

Claudia Browner

Executive Director

Laura Mueth

Senior Program Specialist

Rachel Rackers

Senior Program Specialist

Jessica Zimmer

Lead Administrative

Support Assistant

The Missouri Youth Leadership Forum is offering

four one day Regional Leadership Forums (RLF)

for students with disabilities (ages 16-21) this fall

Our team is looking forward to connecting with

youth throughout the different parts of the state

During each RLF the youth will get a small

glimpse into what the Missouri Youth Leadership

Forum is and also build connections with local

alumni agencies employers etc

Dates for 2020 Regional Leadership Forums

(RLF) are

October 3rd in Kansas City

October 17th in Springfield

October 24th in Jefferson City

November 7th in Cape Girardeau

Please help us share this exciting opportunity with students parents

teachers and colleagues Applications are now being accepted

For more information or to apply visit our website at

httpsdisabilitymogovgcdylfhtm

Regional Leadership Forums New Date for Jefferson City by Rachel Rackers

Get Prepared for the Upcoming Elections

by Claudia Browner

This yearrsquos elections are right around the corner and Paraquad is leading the lsquoGet Out the

Votersquo campaign to increase voter turnout among Missourians with disabilities

The Missouri Disability Voter Coalition a statewide group lead by Paraquadrsquos public

policy amp advocacy department has created a series of lsquoBreaking Down Barriersrsquo voter

education presentations geared towards people with disabilities and people who work

with them to explain why voting is important the registration process what to expect on

Election Day accessible voting absentee voting and your rights as a Missouri voter

To participate in one of the upcoming presentations please visit their website at https

wwwparaquadorgvoter-education-training or contact Briana Conley at Paraquad at

bconleyparaquadorg or 314-289-4304

The Missouri Secretary of Statersquos

ldquoGo Vote Missourirdquo webpage also

offers comprehensive information on

Elections and Voting There you can find

out if you are registered to vote register learn about different voting options how to vote

absentee or to find the location of your polling place To visit the Go Vote Missouri

website go to httpswwwsosmogovelectionsgoVoteMissouri